Ellagic acid content in strawberries

Ellagic acid is a phenolic compound which occurs naturally in strawberries. Interest in ellagic acid has increased during the past few years owing to its properties as a micronutrient. The objective of this study was to determine the ellagic acid content in strawberries compared with that in other common fruits and to evaluate its variability, the effects of ripening stage, and the tissue and seasonal variability in selected cultivars widely grown in Argentina. Strawberries showed significantly higher levels of ellagic acid than many other fruits of economic importance, ranging from 0.16 to 2.07 mg g⁻¹ dry weight. The ellagic acid content was highest in green fruit, intermediate in mid‐ripe fruit and lowest in full‐ripe fruit. Cultivars ‘Chandler’ and ‘Camarosa’ contained the highest amounts of ellagic acid in strawberries with edible value (0.78 and 0.70 mg g⁻¹ dry weight respectively), while ‘Oso Grande’ and ‘Milsei’ exhibited the lowest (0.35 and 0.31 mg g⁻¹ dry weight respectively). Moreover, the level of this phytochemical was found to be higher when considering pulp with achenes compared with pulp without achenes. Copyright © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry